Lucy’s hand bones

Lucy and other early human ancestors may have been able to make and use tools, according to a recent study. Researchers analyzed the hands of three Australopithecus species, including Australopithecus afarensis. They closely examined places on the hand where soft tissue attached to bone, which offer clues to how the hands functioned and how the species used them. All three species had hands that were capable of grasping, pinching, and gripping objects, like tools, to varying degrees. The most recent species, Australopithecus sediba, lived 1.95 million to 1.78 million years ago and had the most humanlike hand. The study doesn’t prove that the species used tools, but it does show that they had the ability to do so.…

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The Week Junior US (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 251

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